Monthly meeting brings together avid readers for fun, friendship
Published on November 10, 2022
Read, drink and be merry!
There’s fun brewing on the first Wednesdays of each month at the Fort Worth Public Library’s Books & Brews Book Club for adults.
Books & Brews brings together who enjoy a good book and a good brew, whether it’s beer, tea or coffee. Monthly book selections are listed in advance to allow time to read them before the meeting. The monthly gatherings happen at different venues across the city.
Making new friends is one of Barbara Williams’ favorite things about Books & Brews. “It brings together a diverse group of individuals of all ages,” she said. “It’s good to understand how individuals react to a book. Sometimes it gets lively when we have conflicting opinions!”
The Library’s Adult Services launched Books & Brews in October 2019, and it soon drew between 10 and 20 participants each month, initially meeting at Cowtown Brewery. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced events to go virtual, Books & Brews temporarily became a Zoom meeting – one of two Fort Worth Public Library book clubs that stayed active. The other – the Stay at Home Book Club – was launched in part because of the pandemic and remains a Facebook group.
In late 2021, Books & Brews became an in-person event at locations with patios and outdoor seating.
“As of this summer, we are back to our original in-person numbers,” Adult Services manager Jana Hill said. “And we have several members who have stayed with us since the very first meeting.”
Williams is one of the early participants. Her drink of choice is beer when the group meets at a brewery and wine or gin & tonic when meeting elsewhere.
“A friend saw an article about the book club starting and let me know,” she said. “We joined because it sounded like fun. Two things that make for a good discussion … a drink and a good book.” She said the group is engaging, welcoming and accepting – something new members will find right away.
The first Books & Brews selection she read was for the November 2019 installment of the book club, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Williams is also an active participant in the Stay at Home Book Club on Facebook.